SOCAN Monthly Meeting: Redefining Sustainability for a Turbulent 21st Century

About the event

Presentation by John H. Giordanengo

The concept of sustainable living urges we manage our planetary resources to reap the common benefits Earth provides without compromising future generations, nor the health of the ecosystems we rely upon. This challenges an underlying premise that in a world with limited resources we can enjoy unlimited economic growth. If we ask ecosystems, as ancient models of productivity and resilience, what would they say about the structure of a sustainable economy?

Drawing from three decades of experience and research in business, economics, ecology, and conservation, John H. Giordanengo (jor-da-nayn-go) explores the dynamic relationship between three governing components of highly complex systems—diversity, energy, and trade—to reveal a novel hypothesis on the structure of sustainable economies. The inspiration for his work is our economy’s sister system, nature.

This talk presents thought-provoking perspectives on sustainability, such as the role of economic succession in stimulating diversity and productivity, an ecological explanation of the wealth gap, and the natural geography of a sustainable economy. Other concepts include the role of business diversity in community resilience, and non-technical approaches to a carbon-neutral economy. Giordanengo offers a novel approach to achieving lasting conservation, recognizing that humanity’s most serious concerns cannot be resolved by just environmental and social advocates.

Alan Greenspan and others predict this century to be highly turbulent, with a confluence of social, economic, and environmental disturbances striking nations across the globe. Fear not, for Earth’s ancient wisdom reveals that periods of disturbance favor evolved models. Nature’s eternal patterns of destruction and recovery reveal a clear path for restoring our economies to a sustainable state. Case studies from the U.S., Ecuador, Sri Lanka, and Italy will be shared as time allows.